Snubber for railway truck bolster support springs



T. C. SODDY A ril 25, 1961 SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY TRUCK BOLSTER SUPPORT SPRINGS Filed Dec. 12, 1958 r the shoe over the top of wall 19.

United States PatentO SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY TRUCK BOLSTER SUPPORT SPRINGS Filed Dec. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 779,926

3 Claims. (Cl. 267-9) The invention relates to railway rolling stock and more particularly to the spring support of a railway truck bolster, and comprises structure for snubbing the action of the bolster springs.

The objects of the invention are to simplify such spring and snubber structure, and to facilitate changing out a bolster spring, or a snubber spring, as may be required by the breaking of a spring, to provide stable support of snubber friction shoes and to make possible the shipment of a snubbing unit with or without the bolster springs being assembled therewith.

1n the accompanying drawings illustrating a selected embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a side view of a railway four-wheel truck including a side frame with the usual window in which truck springs, snubbing device and bolster ends are mounted.

Figure 2 is in part a top view of the spring group and snubbing device with the top plate of the snubber removed, and in part a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 3.

' Figure 3 is a vertical elevation and section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar view and section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

The truck includes the usual wheels 1, axles 3, and side frames each having an upper compression member 7, a lower tension member 8, upright struts 9 and journal boxes 10 mounted on the axles. The window between elements 7, 8 and 9 receives a group of four bolster springs 13, the snubbing unit and the end of a bolster resting upon the springs.

The snubbing unit comprises a seat member 17 having a base 18, side walls 19 and 21, friction shoes 22, a central wedge 24 and a single wedge spring 26. The bolster springs 13 are seated on base 18 in pairs spaced apart (Figure 2) to receive between the pairs the friction shoes 22, wedge 24 and wedge spring 26. Preferably walls 19 are vertical and are provided with liners or wearplates 20 but walls 19 may be inclined from the vertical to snub more on the spring compressing movements or spring expanding movement as may be desired.

Friction shoes 22 are at opposite sides of the wedge and have upright outer faces slidable on wearplates 20, or directly on walls 19 if the wearplates are not used. The opposed shoes have upwardly converging wedgeengaging inner faces 28, preferably slightly convex, whereby contact with each wedge induces frictional engagement of each shoe and the adjacent wearplate throughout their full opposing areas. The inclination of each wedge face and the convexity of the shoe are such that the point of contact (indicated at X, Figure 3) will be substantially below the upper edge of wall 19, so that the thrust of the wedge on the shoe cannot tend to tilt Each wear plate includes a flange 34 overlying the top of a side wall 19. Roll pins 36 hold the wearplates on side walls 19. Roll pins 46 are seated in side walls 21 and project into elongated recesses 23 in the shoes and limit the upward movement of the shoes under the thrust of spring 26 and wedge 24 and irrespective of the presence of a tie as is commonly used to hold snubbing devices of this general nature assembled during shipping and storage, or handling when being removed from a truck assembly.

Preferably a top plate 37 overlies all the load supporting springs and the friction shoes and has downturned flanges 38 disposed arcuately about the axes of the bolster springs and alongside the upper ends of the friction shoes and serving to retain the springs and shoes against lateral movement from under the plate. Similar upturned flanges 39 on base 18 prevent lateral movement on the lower ends of the springs. The top plate merely serves as a bolster spring spacer and retainer and may be omitted if the underside of the bolster is provided with spring positioning lugs. Wedge spring 26 is positioned by a lug 41 on the base and by the inverted cylindrical cup-like upper end of wedge 24. The entire spring and snubber package or assembly is positioned on the truck side frame by the projection of base lugs 43 (Figures 3, 4) into suitable openings in bottom chord 8 (Figure 1) or in a spring plank carried thereby, but it is not necessary to cut away any part of a spring plank flange to clear the seat member.

The package snubber or assembly shown in Figures 3 and 4 may be handled readily as a unit because the springs are held against free expansion by the interengagement of pins 46 with the ends of the shoe triangular recesses 23. To replace one or more bolster springs it is only necessary to jack up the bolster, remove the unit from the truck, lift off top plate 37 and change the spring or springs. No general disassembly of the unit is required.

Preferably the top plate 37 has a central opening accommodating the upper end of wedge 24 if the load support springs are compressed sufliciently for the wedge to project above the shoes.

Wear on the side walls may be compensated for by renewing liners 20. Wear on the shoes may be taken up by applying shims to the tops of the shoes beneath top plate 37 or the underside of the bolster if the bolster is mounted directly upon the shoes.

Various changes and details other than those indicated may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the 'exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. Support structure for a railway truck bolster comprising a seat member having a base and upstanding side walls, a plurality of upright helical load-support springs seated on said base between said walls, a pair of friction shoes elongated from top to bottom and spaced apart transversely of the seat member with outer faces slidably engaging respective side walls of said member and with inner faces of the shoes opposing each other being spaced apart and converging upwardly, a wedge between said shoes having upwardly and inwardly inclined faces slidably engaging said shoe inner faces, the upper end of said wedge faces being below the level of the tops of said shoes, irrespective of the height of the shoes, an up right wedge spring seated on said base and forming the sole support for said wedge and thrusting upwardly thereon to urge said shoes apart and against said side walls, a load-carrying top plate overlying said loadsupport springs and shoes, and means between said walls and shoes limiting their relative vertical movement, said top plate being removable from said load-support springs and shoes without disassembly of the shoes, springs, wedge and base.

2. Support structure for a railway truck bolster according to claim 1 in which the movement limiting means includes elements on the base projecting laterally there- 'from and received in laterally open, vertically elongated recesses in the shoes.

3. Support structure for -a railway truckbolster-com prising a seat member having a base and upstanding side walls, a plurality of upright helical load-support springsseated on said base between said walls, a pair of friction shoes elongated from top to bottom and spaced apart transversely of the seat member with outer faces slidably engaging respective side walls of said member and with inner faces of the shoes opposing each other being spaced apart and converging upwardly, a wedge mem-- ber between said shoes having upwardly and inwardly in clined faces slidably engaging said shoe inner faces, the

upper end of said wedge faces being below the level'of the tops of said shoes, irrespective of the height of the shoes, an upright wedge member spring seatedon said sage therethrough of the upper end of the wedge member when the load-support springs are fully compressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,398,751 Light Apr. 16, 1946 2,558,117 Withall June 26, 1951 2,661,944 Hamilton Dec. 8, 1953 2,695,167 Ramos et al. Nov. 23, 1954 2,793,030 Carver May 21, 1957 

